Finding God’s grace through the sacraments

by Jackie Finstad NUDCCW president

At the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) Convention this past November in Minneapolis, resolutions were adopted to encourage and promote praying the rosary daily and the First Saturday devotions. Prayers and devotions are a manifestation of our profound love of God and his Son, through which we affirm

In his simple yet profound 2002 apostolic letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, St. John Paul II writes, “The Church has always attributed particular efficacy to this prayer, entrusting to the rosary, to its choral recitation, and its constant practice, the most difficult problems. At times when Christianity itself seemed under threat, its deliverance was attributed to the power of this prayer, and Our Lady of the Rosary was acclaimed as the one whose intercession brought salvation.”

This is a message that calls us to action, in the humblest of ways, in countering the numerous attacks on families, churches, Christians, pro-life centers, and human dignity, among others.

The rosary is also central to the First Saturday devotions. On the First Saturday during five consecutive months, the devotion consists of: going to Confession, receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion, saying five decades of the rosary, and meditating for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the rosary.

All this is offered in reparation for the sins of blasphemy and ingratitude committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Let us heed the call to take up the rosary and prioritize the First Saturday devotions this year. May we draw closer to Mary and allow God to work through us. Pray that she encourages us to better know God and trust in his will for our lives.